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I have no idea of the answer to your question, but can I just say WELL DONE and the best of luck to you 
they say recognising you have a problem is half way to solving it . good luck
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On a serious note hope all goes well. on a not so serious notemy alcohol problem starts when i go over speed humps and spill it down my lap 
You know you’re too over the limit in the morning to drive a truck and the same goes for a car which is probably why the loss of entitlement applies to both.
Living in the middle of the arse end of nowhere I appreciate how important having a car is but is it better to have a temporary suspension of your license for 6 months or to have a drink drive ban for 12 or more which is most likely to come after you’ve crashed into something or someone? Effects on other people aside, a DD will seriously stuff you up for many years longer than the ban you get.
Best of luck with where you go from here - I think it’ll only be in an upwards direction and for some reason I get the impression you have the determination to ensure it won’t take you long to get there.
syramax:
they say recognising you have a problem is half way to solving it . good luck
My sentiments entirely, you’re one brave man. I wonder just what proportion of people would do as you have done?
I think this is the reason so many people, especially truckers, don’t see the doctor with any problems they may have.
High alcohol consumption and depression are very common in truckers, yet they daren’t seek any help for any of these as if it gets back to the DVLA they’ll have their licence suspended = loss of earnings = more depression and probably more alcohol consumed…
I’ve known drivers in the past that have been extremely depressed, even close to suicidal, literally seen 1 guy - who was a big ■■■■■■ too - just burst into tears for no apparent reason, turned how he was depressed.
It’s never discussed between drivers due to the macho image that needs to be maintained, wives and girlfriends probably wouldn’t understand or would just take the ■■■■ out of you whilst shaggin’ the window cleaner and post man whilst you’re tramping to earn a crust, and the doctor / psychiatrist would report you to the DVLA and your licence would be suspended incase you snapped at another motorist whilst driving a 44t killing machine…
Congrats on noticing you’ve got a problem, and it was very brave of you to go to the doctor with it, hope it works out for the best for you…
Good on you for spotting the problem and more so for getting help… o e thing you could do to bring it home hard is take a week off take the car with all keys to the local and tell him under no circumstance to give you the keys back for a week … self imposed ban, then see how you get on … it’ll be like no car no job … good luck
Well done for doing something about it sooner rather than later when who knows what the consequences could have been for a lot of other innocent people take a big set of cojones to do what you’ve done. Good luck for the future.
Big bloke for admitting the problem.
Big bloke for sharing it.
Best of luck, buddy, hope you get it all sorted.
■■■■ me you’re a brave man. Balls like a ■■■■■■■ horse. Perhaps a short suspension is better than the alternative. Don’t take that the wrong way. Well done on seeking help.
It’s nice to see no one with ■■■■■■■ judgemental ■■■■■■■■■ comments.
Well done for seeking help and I hope all goes well.
One of the DCPC courses I deliver has a section about alcohol & drugs covering the health issues as well as the driving issues. I am shocked how many people I meet that to me clearly have a problem but do not see it. It is without doubt and as has already been said an industry wide problem. We live in a country with one of the highest rates of binge drinking, alcoholism and one liver disease, we also just happen to have THE highest drink drive limit in Europe.
Around 9% of UK males show signs of alcohol dependency (4% females) so you aren’t alone.
During my career as a manager I helped an employee through alcoholism right from initially talking to him about it through to being given the all clear. It was a long road and resulted in no licence for at least 6 months but he survived and is hopefully far better off for health reasons now - but it wasn’t pleasant to deal with at the time. I have also dealt with many drivers losing their licence for a ‘morning after’ offence - again difficult situations as that is generally their livelihood.
Well done for taking that step forward.
Fair play to the op.he saw he was heading down the wrong path and seeked help.i have total respect for you as its a big man who admits theres a problem.best of luck
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Fair play to you buddy. I know in some way how you feel 5 years ago my then fiancée left me and as a happy go lucky cheeky chappy bloke I became an absolute mess. I would spent all day acting like normal and leave the yard in bits. Drink has been your comfort and probably your routine and that’s the problem. I became obsessed with my weight and cleaning. I would come home eat a tin off soup clean and I mean proper clean for hours then go running come back showered and bed. I did that every night for 2.5 years until I met my mrs I’m with now. I lost almost 6 stone and wouldn’t give in till I could see my ribs I was obsessed but one day something will click into place and you will feel your old self again It happened for me and I hope it does for you to mate. Not enough people understand depression, mental health issues aren’t the kind off thing people like to share so you should be proud without realising it you’ve just taken a massive leap in getting sorted. All the best i hope you get on really well take care.
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Have you now stopped or reduced the alcohol intake so that it would make no difference to the safety of driving vehicles?
You have taken a massive step forward in facing up to your drinking problem. Being honest with yourself is sometimes the hardest thing. I’d like to offer you some encouragement in your dealings with DVLA medical section but I can’t. It’s quite likely to be a very frustrating time for you and could be for a while. Start a diary and record your dealings with DVLA. Seek the help of your local MP who might be able to apply a bit of pressure on your behalf. Are you a union member? Might be some help there. You might try to find a lawyer with experience in this area. See what you can find out on the web that might help. Thank you for your consideration for others, that deserves a positive outcome and I hope you succeed in conquering your problems.
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